Ethical Aspect of the Corruption Phenomenon: Historical and Philosophical Analysis

The paper argues that in contemporary anti-corruption discourse and in the existing consensus on corruption there are omissions that can have negative consequences in the overall effort to fight corruption. The main problem is seen in limitation of the analysis of the phenomenon of corruption with economic factors. It does not lead to the desired results because the concept of morality and the creation of an ethical infrastructure are not given proper attention. Based on the analysis of the phenomenon of corruption through the prism of philosophy, and on the analysis of the democratic ethos and bureaucratic ethos and their philosophical bases (deontological and utilitarian ethics), as well as the critique of ethical relativism, a new research hypothesis is proposed and justified. It proposes the shift of the initial research question of the analysis, which should reflect the ethical standards of society and give appropriate attention to moral principles. Also, the paper considers some points of the ethical program, which can serve as a basis for the development of ethical infrastructure, which is a critical part of the successful fight against corruption.